WE brings sustainable safe drinking and sanitation solutions to developing communities around the globe. Key activities WE supports are:
WE envisions a world where everyone can have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and people participate in the creation and maintenance of their own sources of accessible water and sanitation. WE envisions innovative sustainable water solutions being implemented and maintained across our globe.
WE is a 501(c)3, tax-exempt, non-profit organization focused on resolving the world water crisis; we have an ambitious vision; that vision is our passion. Our commitment is to devote all funds to the fulfillment of this vision.
WE works to implement efficient, cost-effective and sustainable water solutions, developed through research and engineering. Our approach is to partner with NPOs, NGOs and local organizations to leverage knowledge, experience, and manpower in the regions of focus. This, in turn, decreases costs and improves project sustainability.
We make the information on projects available through this website, as well as other media. This enables the tracking of project progress by funders and interested parties, as well as ensures that funds are being used in the best possible way.
WE was founded by Alejandro Ramos and Corina Groeger as the means to channel intensive efforts towards solving the water and sanitation crisis.
Corina has a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Western Michigan University. She spent the last 15 years working in the corporate world; leading project teams and implementing large scale process design and redesign efforts. Corina is originally from Venezuela but has been living in the US since 1994; she is involved philanthropically, sponsoring children, supporting organizations, and learning about the political climates in the various regions so as to better make an impact. This has instilled in her a passion for the inequalities that are present throughout the globe, especially regarding the water crises.
Alejandro is an Industrial and Operations Engineer from the University of Michigan and will be starting graduate studies in Organizational Behavior Management this fall. He was also born in Caracas, Venezuela, but was raised primarily in the U.S. Alejandro is a generalist, with a passion for helping others. As an Industrial/Operations Engineer, he focuses on process improvement, ergonomics, and ensuring that solid logic is the foundation for all projects; Alejandro also understands the importance of Human Behavior in making lasting change, be it process redesign at a manufacturing facility or the provision of clean water to communities in the field.
Patrick is a graduate in Economics from the University of Michigan and a Masters candidate in Public Administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. For the last three years Patrick has been serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Perú, specifically in the Small Business Development program. For his first two years of service he lived in a fertile valley, located in Lunahuaná, for which agriculture is the main source of revenue and water is a crucial resource. During his final year of service he acted as a program coordinator, providing technical and logistical support to Peace Corps volunteers throughout Peru.Patrick is very involved with educating residents about business, teaching classes to college students and working with the community on coordinated development projects.
Ken is a retired professor of entrepreneurship from the University of Michigan and is involved with the University's Center for Entrepreneurship. Since childhood, when he started his own fishing business, Ken has worked on numerous ventures, some of which were non-profits. He also spent five years in Nova Scotia, living off of the land, with his family. Ken has seen everything, done everything, and - most importantly - can tell you about it in ways that force you to think and learn from it.